The central government should allow Chief Executive Carrie Lam to resign to help calm the situation in Hong Kong, James Tien Pei-ch
Protesters have made five demands and two of these – complete withdrawal of the extradition bill and the establishment of an independent investigation into the protests – could be done first to ease public tension, Tien, a politician with strong links to the city’s tycoons, said in a RTHK program on Saturday.
un, the former Liberal Party leader, has said.
If the situation continues to get worse, Beijing should allow Lam to resign, Tien said, adding that these measures could help reduce the number of protesters on the streets.
In a separate interview with the Hong Kong Economic Journal, Tien said a lot of tycoons who voted for Lam in 2017 agreed that Beijing should allow the city chief to step down. He said protests had been intensifying since early June and hurting the city’s economy while Lam’s popularity had hit an historic low.
It did not matter who gets the Hong Kong leader’s job, Tien said. But, if the city government cannot contain the situation and use the colonial-era Emergency Regulations Ordinance to suppress the protests, the business sector would lose confidence in investing in Hong Kong, he said.
‘Pray for sinners’
Meanwhile, public transport was shut down and police ordered roads to be closed in Western District amid reports of a large authorized rally on Saturday afternoon. Barriers were installed around the liaison office and many police vehicles were seen in the area.
Buses were diverted, parts of Connaught Road closed and the MTR stopped serving Sai Ying Pun from 1.30pm on. Trams were also suspended from the Macau Ferry terminal after midday, and the Shek Tong Tsui exit of Western Harbour Crossing was blocked at police request, according to local reports.
Police also put up yellow warning flags in Wan Chai, ordering protesters to disperse after about 1,000 people gathered for the start of a “Pray for sinners” march. Organizers claim the walk from Southorn Playground to Government House in Central is a religious event that does not require police permission.
Earlier, Martin Lee Chu-ming, the Democratic Party’s founding chairman, told RTHK the Emergency Regulations Ordinance would destroy Hong Kong’s ‘One country two systems’ policy, as it violates the Basic Law. Lee suggested Tien should get political heavyweights to visit Beijing and get the central government to allow Lam to resign.
Lam has reportedly already told Beijing that withdrawing the extradition bill could help defuse the crisis, according to unnamed sources quoted in a Reuters report on Friday. But the central government declined and ordered Lam not to yield to any of the protesters’ other demands.
Geng Shuang, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said the central government had no more comments to add after it showed support, respect and understanding for the Hong Kong government’s decision to suspend the extradition bill on June 15.
On August 7, Zhang Xiaoming, director of the Hong Kong Macau Affairs Office, said in a speech to 500 pro-establishment Hong Kong politicians in Shenzhen that protests over changes to the extradition law contained characteristics of a “color revolution.” And Wang Zhimin, director of the Liaison Office, said the central government would not compromise with the “rioters,” because they wanted to change the regime in Hong Kong.
On August 27, when Lam was asked by reporters whether her government would use the Emergency Regulations Ordinance to contain the situation in the territory, she said all legal tools should be considered.
NowTV said sources have said the Executive Council had discussed the ordinance while the government would make a decision whether to do so after evaluating the
The Civil Human Rights Front announced on Friday that it had to cancel a planned march on Saturday after it failed to get approval from the police. It said it had no choice but to cancel the march to protect people’s safety.
Nine arrests
On the same day, at least nine pro-democracy activists and lawmakers were arrested for their involvement in protests against the extradition law changes.
Joshua Wong Chi-fung, Agnes Chow Ting and Ivan Lam Long-yin – three leaders of the pro-democracy organization Demosistō – were charged for alleged involvement in a protest at Wan Chai police headquarters on June 21.
Althea Suen Hiu-nam, former president of the University of Hong Kong student union, said police went to her home on Thursday but she was not at home. She went to Wan Chai police headquarters on Friday.
Pro-democracy lawmakers Jeremy Tam, Au Nok-hin, Cheng Chung-tai and Shatin district councilor Rick Hui were also arrested, along with Andy Chan, leader of the banned pro-independence Hong Kong National Party, who said he was taken into custody at the airport. On Thursday, Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit, convener of the Civil Human Rights Front, and a friend were attacked by two masked men with a metal rod and a baseball bat. Max Chung Kin-ping, who organized a legal anti-triad protest in Yuen Long in July, was also attacked by four men wielding metal rods and umbrellas.
